How a 90-year-old ‘grumpy dragon’ taught chef David Thompson all about Thai food
The Sydney-born chef also reveals how he fell in love with ‘heady, delicious, exotic’ Bangkok, and recalls meeting his partner of 30 years, Tanongsak Yordwai, over tequila shots in a dive bar
The world’s worst cook I was born in Sydney in 1960. My mother was one of the world’s worst cooks. A lovely woman and smart, but she hated being a cook and that dislike showed. That I survived her cooking is a miracle. I finished a degree in English literature and my parents were absolutely horrified when I told them I wanted to go into a kitchen. At 22, all of a sudden, I became obsessed by food and compelled to read and eat as much as I could. I also worked in restaurants. I was an appalling cook and made so many mistakes – I was hopeless – and then it all started to come together.
Nahm chef David Thompson’s Aaharn – tasty yet mild Thai
Bangkok bound In 1986, I went to Bangkok on holiday. I loved the unpredictability, the irrationality of it; it was dangerous and unknowable to me. Add to that the charm and sweetness of the Thais and their food – I was enthralled. I was lucky, my parents had bought me a house when I turned 21 and I did the clever thing – I sold it and lived off that for a while. I look back and can understand why they weren’t happy I did that, but I used the money to learn. As it happens, it was an investment.
Many people find that when Thailand gets under your skin, it’s the most deliciously engaging and enticing of places. For me, it wasn’t just about the people and how pretty they are, it was the culture and, to a lesser extent, the food, because at that stage, I thought Thai food was green curry and fish cakes and all the clichés that still litter Thai restaurants around the world.
Through Tanongsak I met an old woman who introduced me to a cuisine that is one of great depth and breadth of provenance, of fantastic ingredients, of cultural significance. I went to her house for six months and Tanongsak often translated for me. I’ve still got the book of notes I took when I was with her. It was my introduction to what I now know as Thai food. She was 90 and grumpy and an old dragon, but she was an heir to an ancient tradition of cooking. She had been brought up in an old palace. Those old palaces were like finishing schools for girls of a certain class who would go there to learn the finer points of finesse that women should have, according to Thai culture. I remember my surprise when she said she could smell whether a dish was too salty. Now I know what she meant. Thai food isn’t just about following recipes, it’s about chasing tastes.
There had been changes to European Union regulations that decimated our supply of ingredients. It became difficult for me to operate a restaurant in London because we lost 90 per cent of our Thai ingredients and it hurt. You could get alternatives but they were grown in India or Burma and had a different taste.
Aaharn – our new restaurant in Tai Kwun – is a different kettle of fish. We altered the concept to fit the site; it’s too upmarket for street food. Downstairs we’ll have snacks to go with the drinks, but upstairs is more refined. It’s proper Thai food as I understand it. I decided instead of having a large menu as we did at Nahm, here, we’d have about 15 to 20 items that I would change often.
I still find the same timeless joy in cooking that I had when I started. Few people can say they still have the same excitement and satisfaction in doing what they did when they started their career. It’s one of the joys of being a cook because it’s rejuvenating. The value I obtain is personal and internal and not derived from other people or monetary success; it’s about the sheer pleasure of executing something well. I’m very lucky.
David Thompson was in Hong Kong to set up his new restaurant, Aaharn, in Tai Kwun, Central.